Tuesday of Holy Week
(John 12:21-33; 36-38)
The gospel today invites us to compare and contrast Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial of Jesus. We may have heard preachers say that the two offenses amount to the same sin of infidelity. That opinion, however, is wrong-headed. It would be like equating setting on fire a home and not calling the fire department when we see the blazes. Others may condemn Judas’ treachery of handing Christ over to his enemies but dismiss Peter’s failure to stand up for Christ out of fear. This way of thinking is also misguided. Both deeds are despicable although Judas’ is more serious than Peter’s.
In explaining Judas’ treason, the passage says, “Satan entered him.” This does not mean that Judas betrays Jesus because he is possessed by the devil. No, there is full responsibility here. A bit later, when Judas leaves the supper, the passage ominously adds, “...it was night.” This reference is not to give the time of day but to indicate that Judas chooses darkness to the light of Christ. Earlier in the gospel Jesus tells Nicodemus that some people choose darkness to light (3:19). Here Judas deliberately makes the same choice. We should realize that we too are susceptible to it.
Sometimes we look for ways to excuse ourselves of sin. A young man may say that peer pressure forced him to drink too much. A young woman may attribute her abortion to fear of her parents’ chastisements if she came home pregnant. These kinds of circumstances certainly have a bearing on one’s action, but they seldom are so extreme that they excuse wrong-doing. We must develop virtue by always striving to do what is right amidst the varied circumstances of life. Conversely, we must not act like Peter who fails to support Jesus although he knows better.
Showing posts with label Judas Maccabeus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Judas Maccabeus. Show all posts
Homilette for Friday, November 24, 2007
Friday of the XXXIII Week of Ordinary Time
I Maccabees 4:36-37.52-59, Lucas 19:45-48
The first reading today describes the origins of the Jewish feast of Hanukkah. Many people, especially in the United States, see this feast as a Jewish Christmas because it is celebrated around the same time of year. However, its significance to Jews seems as slight as a pencil in comparison to the meaning of Jesus’ birth to us.
As we might have heard yesterday if it were not Thanksgiving, the Maccabee family started a rebellion against the Seleucid (Syrian) kings. For years the foreigners had occupied Israel with relative peace until Antiochus IV Epiphanes came to the throne in 175 B.C. The new king tried to impose pagan customs on the people desecrating the Temple with an altar to Zeus. By 167 B.C. Mattathias Maccabeus and his sons had enough. They rallied faithful Jews behind them to oust the occupiers. In the passage today Mattathias’ son Judas leads the rededication of the Temple and declares an annual celebration which Jews observe today as Hanukkah.
In the gospel we find Jesus performing a vaguely similar cleansing of the Temple. The situation, of course, is very different but it is the same zeal for the holy that impels Jesus to drive out the vendors. Both readings remind us of the centrality of a consecrated place to worship. We might praise God anywhere and should pray wherever we find ourselves. But the Temple and synagogue for Jews and the church for Christians have a unique importance. They are the designated places of encounter with God hallowed by the prayers of our forbearers in many cases for ages. They testify to the truth that Judaism and Christianity are not fads but vibrant avenues of communication with the living God.
I Maccabees 4:36-37.52-59, Lucas 19:45-48
The first reading today describes the origins of the Jewish feast of Hanukkah. Many people, especially in the United States, see this feast as a Jewish Christmas because it is celebrated around the same time of year. However, its significance to Jews seems as slight as a pencil in comparison to the meaning of Jesus’ birth to us.
As we might have heard yesterday if it were not Thanksgiving, the Maccabee family started a rebellion against the Seleucid (Syrian) kings. For years the foreigners had occupied Israel with relative peace until Antiochus IV Epiphanes came to the throne in 175 B.C. The new king tried to impose pagan customs on the people desecrating the Temple with an altar to Zeus. By 167 B.C. Mattathias Maccabeus and his sons had enough. They rallied faithful Jews behind them to oust the occupiers. In the passage today Mattathias’ son Judas leads the rededication of the Temple and declares an annual celebration which Jews observe today as Hanukkah.
In the gospel we find Jesus performing a vaguely similar cleansing of the Temple. The situation, of course, is very different but it is the same zeal for the holy that impels Jesus to drive out the vendors. Both readings remind us of the centrality of a consecrated place to worship. We might praise God anywhere and should pray wherever we find ourselves. But the Temple and synagogue for Jews and the church for Christians have a unique importance. They are the designated places of encounter with God hallowed by the prayers of our forbearers in many cases for ages. They testify to the truth that Judaism and Christianity are not fads but vibrant avenues of communication with the living God.
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